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Disabled sue Montreal public transit
A group of disabled people who travel on wheelchairs is suing Montreal’s public transit for unequal access to public transportation.
The group argues their right is covered in the charter of rights and is claiming $20,000 for failure to provide adequate travel service.
According to CTV Montreal, the city has only seven metro stations accessible to wheelchairs out of 68.
In comparison, Toronto has 30 of 69 stations so equipped.
The transit authorities did not comment on the alleged accusations. But in the past they have cited as a reason a cost of $15 million of renovations for such developments.
Public transportations have previously promised to equip all stations with elevators by 2028.
Montreal woman gets sixteen years in prison for drugs
According to the CBC, a Montreal woman has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison.
34-year-old Tara Hayes was caught trying to smuggle over seventy thousand ecstasy tablets in to the United States. She was convicted in August but only recently sentenced.
Border patrol officers found the drugs inside Hayes’ rental car’s gas tank. Her lawyer argued Hayes did not know the drugs were there. They had an estimated value of up to two million dollars.
January 31st, 2012
Read by: Aisha Samu
Stories by: Aisha Samu, Nikita Smith, Tara Brockwell, Jordie Yeager, and Esther Viragh
Produced by: Carlo Spiridigliozzi
Old Age Security will not be cut...yet
No threats to Old Age security yet.
According to the CBC Prime Minister Stephen Harper told parliament Monday that those currently receiving old age security will not see their benefits cut.
Without going into specifics he said adjustments will have to be made in the future to sustain costs. By 2030 the ratio of workers to retired people will be two to one leaving the government less tax dollars to work with.
Harper caused a stir with his speech announcing his government’s plans to transform the pension system at the World Economic Forum last week.
Presidential election rules established in Egypt
Egypt’s governing military council has set out rules for presidential elections.
According to the BBC, this will be the country’s first election since the uprising that overthrew Hosni Mubarak.
The rules specify that candidates must be born in Egypt to Egyptian parents. They cannot be married to a foreigner either.
An endorsement by at least 30 MPs or 30-thousand eligible voters is also a requirement.
No date has yet been set for the poll. The military council has promised, however, that it will be held in June. A spokesman for a civilian body that advises the generals was asked to comment. He said the military is considering ways of speeding up the transition to civilian rule.
Judith Woodsworth returns to Concordia
Judith Woodsworth is returning to the halls of Concordia as a teacher.
The Montreal Gazette is reporting the return of the former Concordia president who is currently teaching French translation classes.
Woodsworth stepped down as president in December 2010 after a storm of controversy that caused instability within the university, taking with her a hefty severance package of over $700 000.
Yet her quiet return is in stark contrast to the fanfare surrounding her infamous departure.
The reappearance of Woodsworth received no publicity, with a communications official for Concordia downplaying the situation, maintaining there was no need for an announcement because “she’s just a faculty member.”
Woodsworth’s return to academia hasn’t been met with much opposition, yet it has taken some by surprise.
President of the Concordia University Support Staff Union Danièle Berthiaume was surprised Woodsworth would come back to the university, noting that “nothing was clarified” surrounding her mysterious exit, and that “now it seems she was given tenure along with the position of president.”
Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill separated Woodsworth’s former position as president from her current role as a professor calling it “two very different things.”
Shortly after her departure, the university appointed Dr. Frederick Lowy as the interim president.
With two presidents leaving in the middle of their terms and Concordia’s Board of Directors coming under fire, internal and external studies are currently being conducted into the university’s governance.
Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich supports Keystone Pipeline
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says that, if elected, he’ll authorize the construction of the Keystone Pipeline on his first day in office.
According to The Globe and Mail, Gingrich wants to ensure Canadians that the pipeline won’t have to be built across the Rocky Mountains.
TransCanada, the company in charge of building the pipeline, has yet to finalize a route for the project. According to Gingrich and The Globe and Mail, it will begin in "central Canada."
Megaupload's content may be removed by Thursday
According to BBC, U.S prosecutors have stated that files belonging to Megaupload users may be deleted as early as Februrary 2nd.
Megaupload’s lawyer has told the Associated Press that at least 50 million users are sharing files on their sites. All of their files could be deleted.
This statement was released after the U.S Attorney’s Office filed an official warning letter.
Users of the website will not be paid because Megauplaod’s funds have been frozen. Other users have different complaints. Some claim that they lost files, which they had created themselves, free of any copyright infringement.
The site was officially shut down on January 19th, leaving 150 million registered users of the site unhappy.
Megaupload has been accused of costing copyright holders more than 500 million dollars in revenue.
It is the most popular file-sharing service in the world.
Bob Rae challenges Concordia students to help re-build the Liberals Party
At the tail end of a five-day tour of Quebec, interim Liberal leader Bob Rae paid a visit to young liberals at Concordia University.Film Review - Haywire
Haywire will throw you to the ground and leave you to die! Well, that’s what the female protagonist will do to you if you cross her. Her name is Mallory Kane and she is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor. Doesn’t that sound exciting? Well, let me tell you that it made quite the impression on me. Mallory Kane has been double-crossed and she is out to seek the truth and kill whoever gave the order. Mallory works with some heavy hitters who are just as dangerous as her, so she must use her training to fight for her life and survive the heavy threats that are on her tail. The film is only an hour and a half long, so I do not wish to reveal too much of the plot because it is very cleverly written and leaves you wanting more.
The great Steven Soderbergh delivers once again with this well directed smart espionage film. He reinvents the crime-espionage film and brings it into the 21st century. He liked the idea of added drama and conflict behind a female lead and how she functioned in a male dominated world. Who did Soderbergh pick for his lovely leading lady? He chose the incredibly dangerous Gina Carano. Gina is a very impressive MMA fighter and champion. She knocked out her first ever opponent in 39 seconds and is considered to be the face of Women’s Mixed Martial Arts. Gina underwent special ops training and was pushed to her physical peak for this film. Aaron Cohen, who, amongst other incredible achievements, spent three years in Isreal's special ops undercover unity, trained Gina and the other cast members. What I admire about Gina’s performance is that she did all of her own stunts and no wires were used. She is the one doing everything. She is leaping from roof to roof, she is taking down men who are larger than her and she is doing it successfully.
The other actors in this film helped this newbie find her self-confidence on set. They knew she could bring it during the fights and could hold her own physically but the acting part apparently made her nervous. Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton and Ewan McGregor are all cast in this smart thriller and each of their roles is well done and well developed. They act as Mallory’s list of dirty laundry that she desperately needs to air out.
The fight scenes are almost endless and they are truly a masterpiece. The actors rehearsed for weeks and weeks to get everything perfect. The locations were re-made into rubber sets so that the actors could viciously throw each other around without actually harming each other. Oh Hollywood, sometimes you can make me a very happy woman, and with this film you hit the target with grace.
I highly recommend seeing this film because of all the hard work that went into it, the incredible cinematography and the heart pounding action. Haywire is smart, well organized, entertaining and a different kind of espionage that should be further developed. For example the fight scenes had no music during them so that the audience could really get the sense of reality, all the grunts and groans are real and the choreography was unbelievable. Plus, who doesn’t love a fucking bad ass beautiful woman who kicks the shit out of the bad guys? Everything Gina Carano did was right, despite being a first time actress; she is truly blessed being able to work with Soderbergh for her first film. Together they created an interesting and fearless female protagonist that you will cheer for while the ending credits roll.
4.5 out 5 stars
-Andrea Boulet
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